System and method for promoting messages to a plurality of websites from a centralized authority in response to a disaster or emergency event

ABSTRACT

A system and method for broadcasting messages to selected websites in order to provide emergency information to the U.S. populace, or zone applicable populace, from a central authority. This is achieved by implementing a “partial deflection” of a website altering the applicable zone file on a DNS server having authority over a website. Depending up which authority makes a request for broadcasting an emergency message, an emergency website is created and a partial deflection of the original entity&#39;s page is deflected to a main frame accompanying a header frame displaying the emergency alert message the emergency alert webpage. The requesting authority retains control over the content of the emergency message and can trigger the implementation of the broadcast from a variety of signal interfaces.

This application claims the benefit of filing priority under 35 U.S.C.§119 and 37 C.F.R. §1.78 from non-provisional patent application Ser.No. 11/961,686 filed Dec. 20, 2007, for a SYSTEM AND METHOD FORREDIRECTING A WEBSITE UPON THE OCCURRENCE OF A DISASTER OR EMERGENCYEVENT. All information disclosed in that prior application isincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the Domain Name System(“DNS”) as implemented on the Internet, but it also relates to themechanics of operation of the Emergency Alert System, which supplantedthe well known Emergency Broadcast System. In greater particularity, thepresent invention relates to the redirection of website addressing uponthe occurrence of a specified signal. In even greater particularity, thepresent invention relates to the centralization of redirecting websitesupon the occurrence of specified signal, such a signal likely resultingfrom an emergency event.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The Emergency Broadcast System (“EBS”) was a well known emergencywarning system in the United States, used from 1963 to 1997, but whichwas replaced by the Emergency Alert System (“EAS”) in 1994. Jointlycoordinated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), FederalEmergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the National Weather Service(NWS), the EAS is designed to enable the President of the United Statesto speak to the United States within 10 minutes, and to allow localgeographical zones to be addressed by local authorities, when needed.Hence, each State has its own EAS plan to allow it to take advantage ofthe national EAS system. The EAS regulations and standards are governedby the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau of the FCC.

The EAS expanded the communication coverage previously offered by theEBS and now uses a plethora of communications mediums to communicatemessages. For example, the EAS now covers general radio type signalssuch as AM/FM/ACSSB(R)(LM(R)), general broadcast television signals suchas VHF Low/VHF Medium/VHF High/UHF stations, cable television includingsystems that support HRC/IRC/ICC/STD/EIA, wireless cable television,Digital television, digital cable, XM Satellite Radio, Sirius SatelliteRadio, Worldspace, In-band on-channel (IBOC) communications, DigitalAudio Broadcasting (DAB), DIRECTV, the Dish Network, Muzak, DMX Music,Music Choice, all other Direct Broadcast Satellite providers, and VideoDial Tone (OVS) services.

The FCC requires all broadcast stations (see above list of types) toinstall and maintain EAS decoders and encoders at their control points.These decoders continuously monitor the signals from other nearbybroadcast stations for EAS messages. For reliability, at least two othersource stations must be monitored, one of which must be a designatedlocal primary. Broadcast stations are also required to be aware of thelatest EAS protocols, maintain the latest version of the EAS handbook,and keep logs of all received and transmitted EAS messages, which aretypically recorded electronically on a personal computer.

In addition to the audio messages transmitted by radio stations,television stations must also transmit a visual message such as text“crawl” displayed at the top of a transmitted display screen. A colorcoded “crawl” system is often used where the color signifies thepriority of the message, but some television stations transmit only avisual message. A television station may be used for monitoring byanother station and, thus, an audio signal also is necessary.

Upon reception of an alert, a station must relay an Emergency ActionNotification (“EAN”) and an Emergency Action Termination (“EAT”) messageimmediately to their listeners/viewers and other stations. Some stationshave been allowed to “opt out” of relaying some alerts, such as severeweather and child abduction emergencies (e.g. AMBER Alerts), and somestations may be “non-participating” type stations and do not relay anymessages. Instead they transmit a message instructing listeners/viewersto tune to another station for the broadcasted information, and theymust then suspend their own operation.

A digital version of EAS called Digital Emergency Alert System (DEAS) iscurrently being rolled out to the US after the implementation of a pilotprogram and is designed to deliver next generation alert and warningcapabilities to the American public. DEAS is a wireless digital datadelivery system that utilizes a process called “datacasting” which is aone-way broadcast service. The intent of the new DEAS system is toutilize existing high-speed networks to stream video or disseminatelarge files to thousands of locations simultaneously through a processcalled “datacasting.”

Datacasting offers the potential to reach greater distribution audienceand provide greater amounts of information to a warning recipient. Intheory, the technology will allow the DEAS system to be addressable sothat public safety officials can pinpoint to whom the information issent, and distribute critical information over a variety of media, suchas cell phones, PDAs, pagers and computers. Datacasts are transmittedthrough a digital television signal and a receiver hooked up to apersonal computer, laptop or computer network. However, homes, schools,government buildings and businesses can only receive the alerts andinformation in a datacast by installing a special receiver and antenna.Hence, while high-speed networks are utilized to transfer digital files,the existing radio broadcasting systems are utilized to reach listingpublic and the existing Internet WWW services are not utilized. Since,special equipment is required for a personal computer to become arecipient of any broadcast alerts, incorporation of even a modestpercentage of personal computers in use in the U.S. is unlikely.

It is surprising that the Internet is not fully included in the EAS, orthe DEAS, notwithstanding the fact that the Internet has become aubiquitous data communications channel for a majority of the USpopulation. However, the reason is likely that the implementation of thecurrent EAS or DEAS systems on the Internet is not feasible as thetopology of the Internet is a distributed network, and no centralizedauthority currently controls access to services offered over theInternet, as was purposeful in is design. Nevertheless, a type ofcentralized control may be implemented voluntarily throughout the worldwide web through manipulation of the current domain naming conventionsof the Internet, as will be disclosed. Hence, some understanding of thestructure and function of certain aspects of the Internet are requiredin order to appreciate the herein disclosed centralized system.

The “Domain Name System” on the Internet associates various sorts ofinformation with so-called “domain names” and provides for a userfriendly addressing process for the Internet by translatinghuman-readable computer host names into the IP addresses. This processis known as “name resolution” and may be handled in various ways, butthe most common method is for name translations to occur through the DNSsystem (hereinafter “Internet DNS” or simply “DNS”). For example, thenumerical address 66.230.200.100 is provided to Internet users' machineswhen the human readable address www.wikipedia.org is typed into anInternet browser addressing bar. The translation of a domain name orother human readable text into IP addresses provides the addressingscheme that networking equipment needs to deliver webpages to PCs aroundthe world, and to provide other information such as addresses for mailexchange servers and other services available over the Internet. Inproviding a worldwide keyword-based addressing scheme (i.e. essentiallya redirection service), DNS is a critical component for the functioningof today's Internet. Since the Internet is the dominant medium throughwhich most information is propagated throughout the world, theimplementation of DNS is nothing less than a monumental datacommunications achievement.

While other computer programs exist that process name resolutionrequests from computer to computer on a network, as of the filing ofthis application the most prevalent method for Internet name resolutionis dictated by the aforementioned DNS process invented by PaulMockapetris in 1983 and governed by RFC (“Request for Comment”) 1034 and1035 as adopted by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) in 1986.RFCs 1034 and 1035 made obsolete the prior RFCs 882, 883, 973 as adoptedcirca 1983-84. DNS is one of the original Internet standards, althoughnew applications and extensions to DNS are continually being evaluatedby IETF and the Internet community at large. The RFCs 1034 and 1035specification is hereby incorporated by reference.

While the total scope and operation of DNS is not necessary for acomplete understanding of the herein described centralized deflectionsystem, a few concepts are described below to facilitate theimplementation of the centralized system, as discussed in thedescription of the preferred embodiments.

Name resolution in its simplest form is achieved by an ASCII textconversion table stored on each computer, traditionally know as a“HOSTS” file. At a local network level, a lookup table is maintained tolist different machines that are added to the network and assignednumbers associated with each machine name through a program such asWindows DHCP program. The lookup table on a local network is updatedonly once for each new machine that is added (e.g. a new PC, a router, aprinter, etc.) and is usually administered by a local DNS type program,such as the Microsoft Windows based program “WINS” (Windows InternetName Service). Since HOST files are updated manually, and since even anautomatically updated conversion file saved on a local machine wouldbecome impossibly large to accommodate all of the domain names used onthe Internet, DNS changes this to delegate the lookup or resolutionprocess across a distributed plane of name servers.

When an entity registers a human readable domain name (currently,letters and numbers and a few special symbols, but this is beingexpanded) with one of the dozens of ICANN authorized registrars (e.g.www.register.com), the registering entity specifies two DNS serversassociated with a selected domain name, a primary and a backup DNSserver. These servers are the authoritative sources for DNS informationregarding the selected domain name and machines connected to a networkon the domain. When a user of the Internet attempts to contact a systemin the network domain of the registered domain name, the machineutilized by the user will check progressively from its own DNS server'slookup table, to other machines connected thereto, to Internet coreservers, and finally to the authoritative servers themselves totranslate the spelled name into an IP address. This occurs through theaction of a program in the DNS system called a “recursor” that sends andresponds to addressing queries from other DNS servers in an iterativeprocess. Currently, a popular UNIX based DNS resolution program thatincludes a recursor is BIND (“Berkeley Internet Name Domain”). Responsesfrom these recursor programs usually are either error messages or a“pointer” to which the recursor program might send additional queries tofind the host machine. Upon receiving a request, a DNS server contactedby a recursor program of another DNS server can respond in four ways:

-   -   1. It can answer the request with an IP address because it        already knows the IP address for the domain.    -   2. It can contact another name server and try to find the IP        address for the name requested. It may have to do this multiple        times.    -   3. It can say, “I don't know the IP address for the domain you        requested, but here's the IP address for a name server that        knows more than I do.”    -   4. It can return an error message because the requested domain        name is invalid or does not exist.        This process is iteratively continued until a name is resolved        and the host computer is contacted.

Once the resolution process is complete, in theory, various DNS servermachines, and other intermediate name resolution machines, willpropagate the human readable name's IP address association to theirtables so that name resolution is facilitated across the Internet.Further, local DNS tables are configured to retain information (referredto as “caching”) so that addresses used most often by its domain usersare quickly accessible to facilitate the rapid functioning of DNS.

Usually, an ISP like “yahoo” or “Earthlink” will administer domain namesand their associated webpages and resources for a contracting an entity.But, quite often, organizations will maintain their own domain name andresources. For example, “HowStuffWorks” a well known informationInternet site maintains their own machines dedicated to their website,including administering their own DNS server. As published on theirwebsite, they have a primary server and a secondary, as such:

AUTH-NS1.HOWSTUFFWORKS.COM 209.116.69.78

AUTH-NS2.HOWSTUFFWORKS.COM 209.116.69.79

Their primary DNS is auth-ns1.howstuffworks.com and any changes theymake to this site is automatically propagated to the listed secondarysite, which is maintained not by them, but by their ISP.

HOWSTUFFWORKS uses the name server software BIND for their domain andthey have a zone file (similar to the functioning of a HOST file, butformatted for DNS) on their host DNS server having the following form:

@ NS auth-ns1.howstuffworks.com. @ NS auth-ns2.howstuffworks.com. @ MX10 mail mail A 209.170.137.42 server1 A 216.183.103.150 www CNAME server1

This is a typical zone file and has the following meaning. The first twolines point to the primary and secondary name servers. The next line iscalled the “MX record” which indicates that it is a Mail Exchange ore-mail SMTP server with the name “mail.” The next line indicates the IPaddress for the machine that handles a request tomail.howstuffworks.com, which handles the mail. The next line indicatesto the main machine (server1) that will handle requests tohowstuffworks.com. This line is also know as the “A NAME” record whichlists the primary computer IP address. The next, and last, line pointsto the IP address that will handle requests to www.howstuffworks.com.

As seen in the information in the zone file, several physical computermachines at separate IP addresses make up the computer serverinfrastructure for the website www.howstuffworks.com. And, one will alsonote that a “CNAME” record appears in the above zone file on the lastline. CNAME is short for “canonical name,” which is usually referred toas a CNAME record. A CNAME record in a DNS database, like the zone fileabove, is a record that indicates the true, or “canonical,” host name ofa computer with which its aliases are associated.

CNAME records can be used when a computer or service needs to be renamedto temporarily allow access through both the old and new name, or topoint a sub-domain to another domain, or to have a sub-domain point to acomputer outside of the host domain. In the above zone file example, theCNAME record redirects all world web entrieshttp://www.howstuffworks.com to the “server1” IP address listed underthe A Name record. CNAMES are often used to redirect address barmistakes entered into Internet browser software fields. For example,many HOST record files redirect incorrect entries likehttp://wwww.domainname.com and http://ww.domainname.com tohttp://www.domainname.com, which is helpful for instances when anInternet user do not enter the correct number of “w”s in the browseraddress bar of their Internet browser program like Internet Explorer.The complete usage and acceptable forms of CNAMEs may be found in RFC1034.

As was fully discussed in application Ser. No. 11/961,686, the usage ofCNAMEs provides a means for redirecting access to websites, domains,sub-domains, resource records, etc., and it may be done in an automatedfashion. Pursuant to the referenced application, the automated alteringof zone files permits the “deflection” of websites when combined withnovel uses of CNAMEs. Further, the alteration of a websites function andappearance is also possible using CNAME manipulation in zone files.

Nevertheless, the redirection of webpages to provide an alternativecontent to be delivered to a requestor over the Internet, such as if thecomputer server delivering the original content is destroyed in adisaster event, does not provide a means for a central authority tobroadcast an emergency message to a computer user accessing variouswebsites on the Internet.

Hence, what is needed is a centralized system for quickly and simplyproviding emergency messages to websites either subscribing to or beingrequired to implement an emergency broadcast system. The system shouldeither be integrated with the EAS or DEAS, or be available as an adjunctto these systems. The implementation of this process should cause nodisruption to the Internet structure, including especially DNS, so thataccess to the websites will not be otherwise inhibited.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In summary, the present invention provides a system and method forbroadcasting messages to selected websites in order to provide emergencyinformation to the U.S. populace, or zone applicable populace. This isachieved by implementing a “partial deflection” of a website alteringthe applicable zone file on a DNS server having authority over a websiteand publishing an emergency alert website that includes an emergencyalert message.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A system and method for promoting messages to a plurality of websitesfrom a centralized authority in response to a disaster or emergencyevent incorporating the features of the invention are depicted in theattached drawings which form a portion of the disclosure and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the nominal interaction of InternetDNS and a PC user making a webpage request;

FIG. 2 is a system wide block diagram of the system affecting thelogical DNS associations to promote an emergency message from a centralauthority to PC users viewing a selected website;

FIG. 3 is a process flow diagram showing the primary steps associatedwith the processing of an emergency message promotion into a website;

FIG. 4 is an expanded view of the zone files alteration step of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a top level scripting function map of the process steps shownin FIGS. 3 & 4;

FIG. 6 is a process flow diagram showing the promotion steps associatedwith intelligent DNS monitoring to maintain control over the emergencyalert website 56 shown in FIG. 2; and,

FIG. 7 is a further process flow diagram showing the demotion stepsassociated with intelligent DNS monitoring.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to the drawings for a better understanding of the function andstructure of the invention, FIG. 1 shows a typical webpage requestprocess 10 when requesting PC 11 attempts to resolve a human readablename associated with an Internet webpage utilizing the DNS system 12over the Internet. A DNS software application running on a serverconnected to the PC 11 supplies DNS name resolutions to the requestingPC 11 during a webpage request. DNS 12 working in tandem with the DNSsoftware application provides an Internet protocol (“IP”) addressenabling the requesting PC 11 to make a direct request for a resourcepresent on a web server 16 via zone host DNS server 13 which is thensupplied to the requesting PC 11 over the Internet 22. The zone host DNSserver 13 includes the authoritative information about a resourcelocated on the web server 16 in the form of a “zone file” 14. The zonefile includes A NAME records and CNAME records, as the case may be, andthe IP address of the web server 16 is of the form 1.2.3.4 as shown.

Application Ser. No. 11/961,686 described in detail a system forredirecting (i.e. “deflection”) a requested web resource that maintainsthe availability of world wide web content irrespective of theavailability or operation of an entity's web server or its authoritativeDNS server. The details of that process as already incorporated byreference herein are hereby restated and re-referenced, including thepresented programming code tables, so that the reader may fullyunderstand the process by which the DNS system is manipulated to presentsubstituted content upon the submittal of a resource request by a PCuser. An understanding of the processes in that referenced applicationare expected for a full understanding of the herein presented system andmethod in FIGS. 2-7. Some aspects of that prior disclosed system havebeen altered to achieve the herein described results, as will bediscussed.

Referring to FIG. 2 it may be seen that the herein disclosed systemrequires an intervening administration DNS server(s) 26 to be positionedwithin the DNS resolution topology to allow for monitoring and controlof web services offered by entity web server 16 and to accomplishemergency deflection of a website inquiry in order to convey anemergency message from a central authority. The system 30 uses theadministration DNS server(s) 26 to monitor and control the content ofzone file 28 such that upon the occurrence of an emergency alert action(“EAA”) from central authority 23 (i.e. deflection to a pre-specifiedsite) the appropriate zone file 28 is edited and published tocontrolling DNS server 26. Such an EAA request may be initiated via anetwork connection 47, including a global connection such as theInternet, a radio tower emission 29 in which receiving towers 31 maypropagate the request 32, satellite based communication paths 35, or anyother type of pre-specified target message transmission initiation suchas cell phone, PDA, remote client PC, etc., that can communicate withserver 26. Server 26 includes sufficient redundant storage 37 toaccommodate numerous zone files representative of any site thatrelinquishes control to server 26. Alternatively, a single zone filemight be configured to accommodate all sites within the control ofserver 26, as desired. Affected Zone files will be a slave filereferencing an applicable CNAME record and a master administration zonefile specifying a replacement webserver resource address to replaceresource record 17 address provided by webserver 16. Upon the publishingof zone files 28, retrieval of redirected requests to replacementcontent held in storage 38 is provided by administration webserver 36,preferably over a network connection 48 in direct communication withadministration server 26, but alternatively webserver 36 could be incommunication with administration server 26 over the Internet, albeitwith less security. Webserver 36 supplies an emergency alert webpage(“EAW”) 56 having a header frame 57 and a main frame 18 when requestedby PC 11. Typically, the EAW 56 will be created at each request, butcould consist of a pre-configured, static HTML page having specificinternal addressing variables adjusted prior to delivering to arequesting PC 11. Irrespective of the mechanism for creating the EAW 56,page 56 will include a main frame 18 directing PC 11 to request the sameoriginal content 17 from entity webserver 16 as was available prior tothe initiation of an EAA, and a header frame 57 directing PC 11 toobtain central authority controlled content such as an emergency alertmessage (“EAM”) from a central authority webserver 21 having redundantstorage 41. Alternatively, header frame content 57 may be pre-configuredas a file retrieved from storage 38 and supplied with page 56 whenrequested by PC 11. Irrespective of the source of frame content, thepage 56 and its content is supplied to PC 11 over the Internet 22 in aconventional fashion.

As will be understood, header frame content may vary in accordance withthe wishes of the central authority's wishes and communication goals.For example, header content might include auto start multi-media files,such as embedded video or audio files, it might present alternativeselectable links to additional information, or it might automaticallyexecute files placed on the client PC to initiate some other type oflocal processing sequence. Such auto-initialization of local PCprocessing allows for better potential of continuity of operations forcentral authorities and potentially allows for central authoritypersonal to establish a “telepresence” with its partners andconstituents to enhance non-verbal communication transmission.

As may be seen, administration server 26 may be controlled by an issuingcentral authority 23 or an independent third party working undercontract for the central authority 23. Further, webserver 41 whilelikely under direct authority and control of the applicable centralauthority, could also be owned and operated by an independent thirdparty having a responsive relationship with the managing centralauthority 23.

Central authority 23 could be the federal government, however, anyauthority in a lesser hierarchical relationship to the federalgovernment may initiate an EAA having an EAM associated with theparticular authority making the request. Such an issuing authority wouldsupply a message mapped to specific websites associated with aparticular type of EAA, via a customized EAW 56. For example, a stategovernment, a county authority, a city government, or other delegatedgoverning authority, such as for example a water works authority orweather authority, might initiate an EAA. Hence, system 30 is configuredto accommodate numerous authorities issuing various EAAs, evensimultaneously, as will be addressed.

Referring now to FIG. 3, initiation of the EAA process 61 is typicallystarted with the issuance of a web based form retrieved from server 26by a user at the central authority 23 and selecting one of a number ofemergency messages pre-programmed for the accessing authority in a userfriendly selection format presented on screen. The screen essentiallyserves as a control switch to select different resource records residingon central authority webserver 21 that will be used as the content forthe header frame 57, and the means for the server 26 to identify whichcentral authority is issuing the EAA. Hence, different types of messagesmay be established for header frame 57 in the partial deflectionprocess, with each message associated with a time or other type ofparameter which may be selected or switched on via the web base control.The EAA form typically resides on the administration server 26, but mayreside anywhere that has effective communication with the administrationserver 26. For example, a person with a notebook computer may be able toaccess, assuming the correct passwords are provided, the EAA form fromany location on the planet, including the authority's primary physicallocation. As will be understood, any type of device able to readwebpages over the Internet, including Internet enabled cell phones,PDAs, etc. would be able to initiate an EAA. The inventors anticipatethat various types of self-explanatory selection criteria and boxes maybe presented to a central authority representative desiring to initiatean EAA, but the actual form style associated with the various messagesand type of central authority will likely vary depending upon the tastesand requirements of each authority. It should also be apparent thatsince the initiation of an EAA is accomplished via a post command, aswill be discussed, the initiation of an EAA may be accomplished over aradio network where a receiving station 31 (see FIG. 2) initiates thepost commend. Initiation of an EAA via a radio signal may be desirablein order to maintain interoperability with an existing EAS, and in orderto provide flexibility to a central authority to issue an EAA from anInternet void communications area.

Upon the initiation of an EAA, a file is written on the administrationDNS server 26 at a known directory location (e.g. a drop-off location)which initiates 61 the EAA process 60 after reception 62 of the request.The server 26 checks periodically, but typically every 1-3 minutes, inthe drop-off directory to see if a file or multiple files are present.It then retrieves 63 the files in the order of creation, oldest first.Each file that is written to the drop-off directory includes a known setof information to allow for error detection and validation of the filecreation. The information that is contained in the file is also writteninto a database on the server. For example, the information in the filemay be written to a database backend such as MY SQL. The actual creationof the file and entry into the appropriate database is effected by a“post” command via the HTTP protocol from the originally presented webform. Data in the file created by the administration DNS server 26 hasthe format shown below in Table 1.0.

TABLE 1 14:1:FastCommandAZJYYZQXT5N1Q723FHI5LQJMJGQO3FH34QSSF8GZ4UQLRJFWQNR241FE7VS00ZTVGCDMBKB54RHL1M7IZPAUGFYE1G4S6ODCRHOS 40cfb99c5084cafcafd0f9d62196bd8e

The request file includes information which is pre-populated byinformation already present in the database file on the server andassociated with the central authority's identification and selectionaction. The first line of the deflection request file includes,separated by colons, a request ID “14,” Authority ID “1”, and themessage which the authority wishes to issue. The second line comprises aunique identification string to allow for the execution of a checksumvalidation and for database correspondence verification once the data inthe deflection request file is written to the database. The next line isleft blank simply for syntax and file protocol verification and does notconsist of any viable data. The last line is a validation string toallow for one-way encryption and of the EAA request file. The syntax ofany EAA request file may vary depending upon the desired parameters tobe received and interpreted by the EAA database in storage 37, howeverthe inventors have found that this format is simple and ensuresintegrity of request reception with a minimum of errors or unauthorizedintrusions. In table format, the meaning of each line in the requestfile has the syntax shown in Table 2.0.

TABLE 2.0 <ReqID>:<ClientID>:<FC State> <Request Validation String><blank> <Host Validation String>

The data structure in a MY SQL database does not have an obligatoryformat, however the inventors have found that the format of the databaseas shown in Tables 3.0 and 4.0 are helpful in the validation process forprocessing EAA requests in accordance with the deflection processdisclosures made in application Ser. No. 11/961,686. The tables 3.0 and4.0 below correspond to the file creation structure which correlateswith a deflection request made in application Ser. No. 11/961,686, butwould also be applicable to any EAA request made by a central authority.

TABLE 3.0 51 59 efc15c539645d954a581acbc3f5753ab 0 63.146.226.11412.150.248.39 1 52 60 87b31f7cf1b506abb4ec1c06e386e526 0 12.166.66.10212.150.248.39 1

TABLE 4.0 EAA Database Request Sample  id  signature  host clientIDreqstate oldIP timestamper chksum 59 11 FastCommand916MSDQSKLTT408Z4RVJPOCKZMF4ARU9JQM1T2X4EH097MZ14KAJAPU02ZV3HF2QWFIG75ACD0CA112VC35DJP3BF04MUX3G2BN0www.methodisthopsital.net 63.146.226.114 2007-11-14 11:51:54 NULL 60 11normalGK71JF74DV51P0HKU88JWUXD49F8PZMW9JNJPKDT59KLZSWJQVTCGHGAGM9WBLIBVVKB6OU2N4ECN1M3N66TDDUJPT6R5ESR03SXwww.methodisthospital.net 12.166.66.102 2007-11-16 13:31:12 NULL

Returning again to FIG. 3, the EAA request file retrieved during step 63is validated 64 to confirm an authentic request. Validation may beachieved in various ways as is known in the art, however the inventorsfor the present system utilize a numerical matching strategy to validateboth database entry and the integrity of data in the EAA request basedupon the confirmation of known data appearing on line 4 of the EAArequest file. The control of the post back of information being writteninto a file directory on the server and the information contained in thefile being written into MY SQL database is controlled by a PHP programrunning on the server (see FIG. 5, top portion). Typically, the serverattempts to retrieve a request file every few minutes or during apre-selected interval, and to the extent that the directory is empty thesystem understands that a validation request is not present and takes noaction. However, upon the occurrence of any file in the pre-selecteddrop-off directory the EAA request initiates processing of that file,and after being stored in the database as discussed above, is deletedfrom the drop-off directory. In the event that the drop-off directoryincludes multiple files (i.e. multiple EAA requests from, potentially,multiple authorities), all the files are picked up and processed, andthen deleted from the directory at timed intervals, typically every 1-3minutes. Each EAA request is processed sequentially in chronologicalorder in conformance with the file's creation date.

The EAA request file is then validated 64 by comparing the validationtext string in the file with a text string present in the database onthe server 26. Since the validation string in the database provides oneof the inputs directly into the file creation, a validation that thefile has come from a known source may be made. Essentially thevalidation process matches the validation request ID to confirm that therequest strings match. Further, since the user is authenticated prior tobeing able to access the deflection webform, some information is alreadyassociated with the authority and can also be written into the SQLdatabase as well. In the event that the validation process fails 66 adenial request message is logged in the database, and the administratorsare alerted 68. If the validation request is validated, the EAA requestis then interpreted by hierarchical request rules 67 to determine if therequest conflicts with other pending or initiated requests, as will bediscussed. If a conflict rule is violated, the request is denied and theadministrators are alerted 68. If no conflict exists, the EAA request isprocessed 69.

Initially, the webpage 56 and alert priority level associated with therequesting central authority is identified 71, and the specifiedemergency message to which an EAA request applies is retrieved 76 fromlocal storage 38 or remote central authority webserver storage 41. Asmay be understood, various types of alert messages depending upon thetype of alert desired to be communicated may be stored for later use.This structure allows for the flexibility to permit many different typesof authorities, each with a variety of alert situations, to bepre-stored and utilized upon demand. This structure also allows for themigration of successive alert messages to be promoted as emergencysituations develop from a primary alert and advisory situation to aremedial response message situation. Hence, primary, secondary, andadditional alert message states may be invoked via successive EAArequests to be initiated at a time of choosing of the central authority.

Once all of the information associated with the alert message has beenobtained, a static template for the EAW webpage 56 may be created andstored 78 for further retrieval and modification, potentially inreal-time. An example PHP configuration file successfully used by theinventors in an Apache webserver application that establishes thecommunication structure for responding to a remote PC's request fordelivering an EAW is shown in table 5.0. The configuration file isessentially a virtual hosts access control file in which lines 2-4 forcethe creation of a two frame webpage to be served to the remoterequesting PC by the webserver 36. Lines 5-8 simple cause an immediateexpiration of any served pages so that old content is not retained in aPC browser cache. An example potential EAW header frame webpagereferenced by the configuration file of table 5.0 is shown in table 6.1.An example potential EAW webpage including both main frame and headerframe served to a requesting PC is shown in table 6.2.

TABLE 5.0 RewriteEngine on RewriteRule {circumflex over( )}headerpage.php$ headerpage.php [L] RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST}!{circumflex over ( )}.*\.fastcommand\.com [NC] RewriteRule {circumflexover ( )}(.*)$ frame.php [L] ExpiresActive On ExpiresDefault “accessplus 1 seconds” Header Set Cache-Control “max-age=0, no-store” --

TABLE 6.1 <?php $pdomain=‘www2.cityhospital.us.com’; $pcolor=‘orange’;$ptitle=‘Hazardous Chemical Spill’; $pbanner=‘Overturned truck EAST ofcampus with possible hazardous chemicals spilled.’;$plink=‘http://demo.fastcommand.com’; ?>

TABLE 6.2 -- Frame.php -- -- -- -- -- <?php header(“Cache-Control:no-cache, must-revalidate”); // HTTP/1.1 header(“Expires: Mon, 26 Jul1997 05:00:00 GMT”); // Date in the pastif(file_exists(“./partial_deflection.php”)) {include(“./partial_deflection.php”); } else { echo “Error:FastCommand&tm; Partial Deflection has been enabled for this site, butit has not been properly configured. Please contact FastCommandimmediately to resolve this error.”; exit; } if (!$pdomain){ echo“Error: FastCommand&tm; Partial Deflection has been enabled for thissite, but it has not been properly configured. Please contactFastCommand immediately to resolve this error.”; exit; }if(preg_match(“Λ.(jpeg|jpg|gif|bmp|png)$/”,$_SERVER[‘REQUEST_URI’])) {$redirect_string=“http://”.$pdomain.$_SERVER[‘REQUEST_URI’];header(“Location: $redirect_string”); exit; }$redirect_string=“http://www2.cityhospital.us.com”.$_SERVER[‘REQUEST_URI’];$redirect_string=“http://”.$pdomain.$_SERVER[‘REQUEST_URI’]; ?> <html><head> <META HTTP-EQUIV=“Pragma” CONTENT=“no-cache”> <METAHTTP-EQUIV=“Expires” CONTENT=“−1”> <META HTTP-EQUIV=“CACHE-CONTROL”CONTENT=“NO-CACHE”> <title>NEIDS -- <?=$ptitle;?></title> </head><frameset framespacing=“0” border=“0” rows=“70,*” frameborder=“0”><frame name=“header” scrolling=“no” noresize target=“main2”src=“/headerpage.php”> <frame name=“main2” marginwidth=“0”marginheight=“0” scrolling=“auto” src=“<?=$redirect_string;?>”><noframes> <body> <p><?=$ptitle;?></p> <br><br> <p><?=$pbanner;?></p></body> </noframes> </frameset> </html> --

Based upon database information associated with the particularrequesting central authority, combined with other types of selectionparameters, a pre-stored list of entities which have delegated authorityof their websites to the administration server using CNAME records asdiscussed previously is accessed and a text file created listing eachentity serially and stored 79. The zone files associated with eachentity which have been delegated to server 26 are then edited 81,published to DNS, and checked for errors 82-87. In particular, the ANAME record associated with or corresponding to the CNAME recordresident on each entity's DNS server 13 effects a CNAME deflection tothe EAW webpage 56.

While in the preferred embodiment the retrieval of a static list ofentities is directly associated with the a particular central authorityaction of making an EAA request, the inventors envision various ways ofpopulating an entity list in response to the submission of an EAArequest. For example, a central authority, or their delegate, may use agraphical user interface to select certain geographical boundaries suchas townships, counties, is boroughs, metropolitan zones, etc. Such afront-end interface would then either associate a numerical value with arequesting authority's EAA request (similar to multiple “state change”requests in application Ser. No. 11/961,686) to enable theadministration server 26 to retrieve a pre-populated entity list fromthe SQL database for processing, or alternatively the front-endinterface application could itself create an entity list file that istransferred to the administration server 26 using known ftp filetransfer methods and deposited in a file directory associated with therequesting authority when an EAA request is encountered. Various typesof geographical selection interfaces are known in the art, such aspolygon extraction and association, and data table matching of pixelpositions on a screen interface. At least one such interface calledGeographical User Interface for Decision Enhancement (“GUIDE”), which isa java based software used in the Government sector, is known in theindustry as of the filing date of this application.

The implementation of the alterations to the DNS zone file in step 81 isaccomplished as indicated in FIG. 4, and are written in PERL and/or BASHprogram scripts an example of which is shown in Table 7.0 below. Onewill note that the processing steps for altering each zone file shown inprocess 60 of FIG. 4 are designed to accommodate multiple websites andmultiple CNAME record changes in any singular zone file.

Initially, the zone file is located 91 and backed up 82, read into amemory array, and parsed 93 to locate the first targeted record 94. Atargeted record consists of the CNAME record associated with thewebsites to be affected for the current entity that is listed within allof the A NAME records stored in the memory array. Once the targetedrecord is located 95 the record is updated by altering the listed recordIP address to correspond with the IP address of the EAW webpage location97 as stored in a database, and then the list is evaluated to determineif more records in the parsed zone file exist 99. If more records exist,the next targeted record is searched for 101, located 95, and updated 97as with the previous record. If a record cannot be located at any timein the process, an error is issued 96 and the next potential record islooked for. Once the list for records in the zone file has beenexhausted 99, the zone file serial number is updated 102 to correspondwith the date and time change associated with the EAA request, therebycreating a unique serial number associated with each update to the zonefile in response to each EAA request, saved 103, and published to DNS104 by executing a RNDC command via SSH for all slave servers 28associated with the administration DNS servers 26. The next zone filefor the particular entity being processed on the entity list is thenedited pursuant to the process 90 until all of the zone files for aparticular entity have been edited. The next entity is then addressedpursuant to step 81 until the list of entities has been exhausted.

TABLE 7.0 Directory and File Structure Tree Located on DNS Server .|--backups/ | |--fastcommand.com.hosts.107101414242| |--fastcommand.com.hosts.107101414302 | | ...| ‘--fastcommand.com.hosts.107612212948 |--clients/| ‘--generate_sample_request.php |--error/ |--logs/ | ‘--cron.log|--pickup/ |--processed/ | |--14.txt | |--58.txt | | ... | ‘--60.txt|--retry/ |--scripts/ | |--check_single.pl | |--cron.bash| |--defaults.bash | |--get_new.bash | |--process_new.bash| |--process_single.pl | |--update_zone.pl | ‘--writeLog.pl |--zones/−><link to dns zone files> ‘--zones_main/−> <link to dns zone files> CronEntry 0,3,6,9,12,15,18,21,24,27,30,33,36,39,42,45,48,51,54,57 * * * */home/fastcommand/scripts/cron.bash2>&1>>/home/fastcommand/logs/cron.log Standard out and standard errorare redirected to the cron.log file in order to log all output of thecron.bash command.

As shown in FIG. 4, initially the zone file on the server computer 26 islocated 81 and backed up 82. Once the zone file is read into a memoryarray and a parse function in PERL is invoked 83. Upon the reading ofthe zone file the information in the zone file is read into a memoryarray. Once the information is read into the memory array the targetedrecord which corresponds with the CNAME record associated with thedeflection requesting entity, is located within a listing of all of theA NAME records held by the memory array 84. Once the record is located,an update to the record proceeds 87. However if the record is notlocated 85, an error is issued and the deflection process is terminated86. The updating of the record 87 consists of altering the listed IPaddress to correspond with the IP address of the website correspondingto the selected state in the deflection request as recorded in thedatabase. The serial number of the zone file is then updated 88 tocorrespond with the date and time change associated with the deflectionrequest, thereby creating a unique serial number associated with eachupdate to the zone file in response to an EAA request. The memory arrayholding the zone file is then written to the server hard drive 89, and areload command 111 executed to the administration DNS server 21 as itapplies to the zone file. An RNDC command is then executed 112 via SSHfor all slave servers 26 associated with administration DNS servers 21.

It is preferred that the Time To Live (“TTL”) of a targeted zone file beset to a relatively small value on server 26 so that any changes to thezone file are propagated through the Internet DNS system quickly. Thisincreases DNS traffic to the server 26, when other servers who mightcontact the deflected entity web server, however this promotes a rapidpublication of the revised EAW IP address to prevent any transientunreachable states for the web server during a EAA processing.

Referring again to FIG. 3, after the zone file is altered in step 81, anerror processing loop is initiated (steps 82-87) to confirm that thezone file DNS changes have been implemented. Net DNS resolver commandsare initiated to all of the servers under the authority of the server26. Each server is queried using recursor queries and the response fromthe other servers is compared with the IP address now recorded in thealtered A records in the zone file 28 to confirm equivalence. In theevent that the query is successful 83, a three digit code is returnedand the loop processing program interprets the code as a failed orsuccessful state change and the server identified that responded througha three bit identifier. If the state change is successful theadministrators are alerted of the successful change 84 for thatparticular server, but if the state change is unsuccessful then a retry86 is initiated and looped for a maximum of ten (10) attempts 85. If tenattempts are unsuccessful in confirming a correct state change, then afailed deflection and alert is sent to the administrator 87. It shouldbe noted that should these error initiation attempts are sent to knownIP addresses since all of the server IP addresses are known and thequeries are sent directly to each server in succession. In other words,the DNS system outside of the zone of the administration servers 26 isnot queried. Since the current procedures incorporate a three bitinterpretation, the determination of up to three servers might beinterpreted as to whether or not any or all of the changes weresuccessful and any at the server level for the servers within the zoneof authority for servers 26. Additional bits may be incorporated toaddress additional servers within the zone of authority for servers 26.A top level, envelope scripting representation for the processes shownin FIGS. 3 & 4 are shown in FIG. 5 to assist in script replication. Theactual PERL programming steps may be found under Table 8.0 below.

TABLE 8.0 #!/usr/bin/perl ## Return Index # # $return{“status”} # $fc[0]= “000; All Good”; $fc[1] = “001; NS1 Failed”; $fc[2] = “010; NS2Failed”; $fc[3] = “011; NS1 & NS2 Failed”; $fc[4] = “100; NS4 Failed”;$fc[5] = “101; NS1 & NS4 Failed”; $fc[6] = “110; NS2 & NS4 Failed”;$fc[7] = “111; NS1, NS2, & NS4 Failed”; # # use Net::DNS; $home =“/home/fastcommand”; $scripts = “$home/scripts”; do“$scripts/writeLog.pl”; $hostname=$ARGV[0]; $expectedip=$ARGV[1]; useNet::DNS; my @myNameservers =(“12.150.248.34”,“12.150.248.35”,“12.150.248.45”); $temp_status_code =1; $status_code = 0; foreach $server (@myNameservers) { my $res =Net::DNS::Resolver−>new; $res−>nameservers($server); my $query =$res−>search($hostname); if ($query) { foreach my $rr ($query−>answer) {next unless $rr−>type eq “A”; #print $rr−>address, “\n”;$check_hash{$server} = $rr−>address; #print “$server ==>$check_hash{$server}\n”; if ( $check_hash{$server} eq $expectedip ) {#print “Good Change\n”; } else { #print “Bad Change on $server, got$check_hash{$server}\n”; $status_code += $temp_status_code; } } } else {warn “query failed: ”, $res−>errorstring, “\n”; $status_code +=$temp_status_code; } $temp_status_code *= 2; } print “$status_code\n”;

The entire process is complicated by the expiration (i.e. the “expiry”)of the administration DNS server's 26 authorization to transmit dataabout servers 13, and therefore the efficacy of zone file 28 in theevent that server(s) 13 are destroyed or disabled and can no longerissue a proper refresh command under the re-curser protocols for DNS.Hence, it is important that a sufficient length of time (i.e. the expirymust be sufficiently large) such that the required refresh time wouldnot occlude the time of destruction during which server 26 would lose itauthorization.

A potential solution to this expiry complication may be implemented byestablishing an intelligent DNS monitoring system for the specifiedentity servers 13. A process 160 addresses the expiry issue by promotingan administration server to become the authoritative server for theentity server from which expiry is threatened. Process 160 uses Bindqueries continually to search for key records pre-defined in the Bindapplication to determine when the primary DNS authority server becomeunresponsive. Upon that condition becoming true, promotion proceeds inaccordance with the process 160.

Referring to FIG. 6, process 160 is initiated as a DNS promotionstrategy 161. The zone information for the targeted zone file isacquired 162 from a stored database 163. The zone file is then alteredto exclude offline servers and the start of authority in the file ischanged 166. The BIND configuration of the zone is then altered to makethe zone the master instead of the slave 167, and the zone file isreloaded into BIND to install the changes 169. The new configuration ischecked for errors 172 up to 9 times during a 90 minute period (9 timesin successive 10 minute increments) 174, with the 10^(th) errortriggering a “failed permanently” message sent to the administrator 179.Success is signified to the administrators when achieved within thespecified time period 173.

While DNS promotion as shown in process 160 will alleviate expiryproblems, authority will likely wish to be restored to an entity server13 at an appropriate time. FIG. 7 shows this demotion process 180 whichis achieved in an automatic manner triggered by the responsiveness (i.e.availability) of the original authoritative DNS server similar toprocess 160, with step 183 reversing the prior promotion process bydemoting the zone to a slave to the entity server 13. While thisdemotion process would likely be done automatically, manual initiationof demotion could certainly be more favorable under certaincircumstances. Error checking occurs in the same manner as with thepromotion process 160.

It should be noted that while the above DNS promotion and demotionprocesses can occur without any changes in the domain records held bythe applicable domain registrar for the original authoritative DNSservers affected by the promotion and demotion processes, as well as theoverall deflection process described in FIGS. 2-5, it would beadvantageous, or even critical in some limited circumstances, for theserver IP address for the promoted DNS server to be listed in theoriginal authoritative server domain registrar record as a named server.While certainly elective, the registering of the promoted DNS server IPaddress in the domain record is a good practice.

While I have shown my invention in one form, it will be obvious to thoseskilled in the art that it is not so limited but is susceptible ofvarious changes and modifications without departing from the spiritthereof. For example, while the herein described system and method hasbeen disclosed within the context of an emergency alert system, oneskilled in the art will understand that this system is applicable forany type of message that an entity desires to insert into an existingwebpage upon the relinquishment of DNS control to a third party serverby the entity.

1. A system for transmitting an emergency message from a centralauthority to a selected group of websites, comprising: a. a plurality ofwebservers each configured for delivering an original content html page;b. an emergency alert webserver configured to deliver a second htmlpage, said emergency alert webserver further configured to deliver saidsecond html page with a header frame portion relating information aboutan emergency event and a main frame portion relating said plurality oforiginal content html pages; c. an administration computer server havingan administration DNS zone file, said administration DNS zone fileincluding a plurality of A NAME records pointing to each of the IPaddress of said plurality of original content html pages; d. each saidplurality of webservers including an authority DNS computer serverhaving a authority DNS zone file, each said authority DNS zone fileincluding a CNAME record pointing to an A NAME record in saidadministration DNS zone file; and, e. means running on saidadministration computer server for automatically altering saidadministration DNS zone file such that said A NAME record points to theIP address of said second html page on said an emergency alert webserverupon the request of said central authority.
 2. A system as recited inclaim 1, wherein said automatic altering means includes: a. means forlocating said administration DNS zone file; b. means for reading saidadministration DNS zone file into a memory array; c. means for parsingsaid administration DNS zone file and locating each said A NAME record;d. means for updating each said A NAME record to point to said secondhtml page; e. means for updating the serial number of saidadministration DNS zone file; f. means for writing and reloading saidadministration DNS zone file on said administration server; and, g.means for propagating information in said altered administration DNSzone file to any extant slave servers.
 3. A system as recited in claim2, wherein said administration computer server includes means forinitiating and validating said central authority request, comprising: a.means for writing a drop-off file into a predefined directory on saidadministration server; b. database means for writing central authoritydata into said drop-off file corresponding to the identity of saidcentral authority and information about said webservers affected by suchrequest, and, c. means for validating the content of said drop-off fileand initiating an emergency alert processing request.
 4. A system asrecited in claim 3, wherein said emergency alert webserver and saidadministration computer server reside on the same computer system.
 5. Asystem as recited in claim 3, further including means for presenting aselectable menu to said central authority to trigger said automaticaltering means.
 6. A system as recited in claim 3, wherein said headerframe portion is pre-stored on said emergency alert webserver.
 7. Asystem as recited in claim 3, wherein said header frame portion includesone or more multimedia file links.
 8. A method for transmitting anemergency message from a central authority to selected group ofwebsites, comprising the steps of: a. receiving an emergency alertrequest from a central authority on a DNS administration server; b.validating the request; c. retrieving pre-stored information correlatingthe emergency alert request to stored alert state settings; d.retrieving emergency alert message content; e. creating an emergencymessage webpage header frame; f. creating a list of websites affected bysaid alert request; g. altering all zone files containing A NAME recordspointing to said affected websites in said website list to re-associatethe A NAME record IP address to the address of an alternate websiteholding said header frame; and, h. verifying that the alteration to saidzone file has been successfully propagated to all servers within theauthority of said administration DNS server.
 9. The method of claim 8,wherein said step of creating said list of affected websites comprisesreceiving a file generated by a remote computer, and wherein said listcreation comprises the steps of using a graphical user interface toselect a geographical region associated with websites related to saidselected geographical region, creating a file listing said websites, andtransmitting said file to said administration server.
 10. The method ofclaim 8, further comprising the step of applying hierarchical rules toalter said step of creating said list of affected websites in responseto the receipt of overlapping emergency alert requests from multiplecentral authorities.
 11. The method of claim 8, wherein said step ofaltering said zone file comprises the steps of: a. locating said zonefile; b. reading said zone file into a memory array; c. parsing saidzone file and locating said A NAME record; d. changing the IP addressassociated with said A NAME record to point to said second webserver; e.changing the serial number of said zone file; f. writing and re-loadingsaid zone file onto said administration server; and, g. propagating saidaltered zone file to any existent slave servers.
 12. The method of claim11, further comprising the step of obtaining emergency alert informationfrom a remote webserver under the control of said central authority. 13.The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of promoting saidDNS administration server to become the authoritative DNS server foreach said website affected by said alert request.
 14. The method ofclaim 13, wherein said promotion step occurs upon the unavailability ofall of the authoritative DNS servers for any said websites affected bysaid alert request.
 15. The method of claim 14, further including thestep of demoting said DNS administration server upon the availability ofone or more of said authoritative DNS servers for any said websitesaffected by said alert request.
 16. The method of claim 8, wherein saidstep of receiving an emergency alert request from a central authorityoccurs in response to the activation of the emergency alert system. 17.The method of claim 16, wherein said step of receiving an emergencyalert request from a central authority in response to the activation ofthe emergency alert system further comprises the further step oftransmitting a request signal from a TV broadcast transmission tower.18. A system for transmitting an emergency message from a centralauthority to a selected group of websites, comprising: a. a plurality ofwebservers each configured for delivering at least one webpage; b. anemergency alert webserver configured to deliver an emergency alertwebpage; c. an administration computer server having at least one DNSzone file, said at least one administration DNS zone files including aplurality of A NAME records; d. wherein each said plurality ofwebservers includes a zone file having a CNAME record pointing to atleast one of said plurality of A NAME records listed in said at leastone administration DNS zone file; e. wherein each of said A NAME recordsto which each said CNAME record points back to each of the respective IPaddresses of the webserver listing the CNAME record in said plurality ofwebservers; and, f. means running on said administration computer serverfor automatically altering each said A NAME record to which each CNAMErecord points in said at least one administration DNS zone file suchthat said A NAME record points to the IP address of said emergency alertwebpage upon the request of said central authority.
 19. The system ofclaim 18, wherein said emergency alert webserver further comprises meansfor presenting said emergency message in a header frame web page contentfrom said plurality of webservers in a main body frame.
 20. The systemof claim 19, further comprising a remote computer server for providingsaid emergency message to said emergency alert webserver.
 21. The systemof claim 18, further comprising means for receiving multiple requestsfor transmitting emergency messages from a plurality of centralauthorities.
 22. The system of claim 18, further comprising means forpromoting said administration computing system to become a DNSauthoritative computer server for each said original content website.23. The system of claim 18, wherein said system includes means forinitiating said emergency alert requests in response to activation ofthe emergency alert system.
 24. A system for a central authority totransmit an emergency message to selected group of Internet websites,comprising: a. an administration computing system, said administrationcomputing system including a DNS administration application and awebserver application, said administration computing system furtherincluding at least one computer system; b. said administration computingsystem including at least one DNS zone file, said at least one zone fileincluding a plurality of A NAME records pointing to the IP addresses ofa plurality of original content websites, wherein each said originalcontent website is controlled by a DNS computer server having a DNS zonefile that includes a CNAME record pointing to said corresponding A NAMErecord on said administration computer system zone file; c. meansrunning on said administration computing system for receiving requestsfrom a central authority for submitting emergency alert messagedeployment requests; d. responsive to said request receiving means,means running on said administration computing system for altering saidat least one zone file on said administration computing system alteringeach said A NAME record IP address corresponding to each originalcontent website to an IP address for an emergency alert website; and, e.wherein said webserver includes means for serving said emergency alertwebsite, and wherein said webserver means further includes means forproviding said original content for any remote computing devicerequesting said original content over the Internet and an emergencyalert message together in a single webpage.
 25. The system of claim 24,wherein said means for serving said emergency alert website furthercomprises means for presenting said emergency alert message in a headerframe and said original content in a main body frame.
 26. The system ofclaim 25, further comprising a remote computer server for providing saidemergency alert message to said webserver means.
 27. The system of claim25, wherein said system includes means for initiating said emergencyalert requests in response to activation of the emergency alert system.28. The system of claim 24, further comprising means for receivingmultiple requests for transmitting emergency messages from a pluralityof central authorities.
 29. The system of claim 24, further comprisingmeans for promoting said administration computing system to become a DNSauthoritative computer server for each said original content website.